Liturgy
We are beloved fools, all of us,
for believing the airbrushed lies
and shrink-wrapped promises
of the voices that whisper
you are not enough.
This morning, Vox family,
may we attune ourselves to
the stern voice of compassion
proclaiming in our midst:
Relent. Be loved.
That same voice tells us, too, the hard truth
we labor to avoid—that we are small,
our plans smaller, and that only in falling
to the ground and dying, do we live.
This morning, brother and sisters,
let us come together in the wonder
of losing ourselves to a God who:
Through death, makes life,
Through fools, makes saints,
Through despair, makes joy,
Through scarcity, makes abundance.
We pray in the name
of God, our Creator,
of Christ, our Savior,
and of the Holy Spirit, our Breath of Life.
Amen.
(Luke Helm)
Scripture Reading
We invite you to hear from the reading of Luke 12: 13-21.
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother
to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him,
“Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?”
15 And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against
all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the
abundance of possessions.” 16 Then he told them a parable:
“The land of a rich man produced abundantly.
17 And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have
no place to store my crops?’ 18 Then he said, ‘I will do this:
I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there
I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up
for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20 But God said to him,
‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you.
And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
21 So it is with those who store up treasures
for themselves but are not rich toward God.”
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
The Good News of Christ. Praise be to you, O Christ!
The grass withers and the flower fades,
but the Word of the Lord endures forever. Amen.
Sermon and Reflection
Sermon Podcast 8.4.19 – Scarce Abundance
How might I access the grace to see the nightmares I’m holding onto?
What does it look like to experience the abundance I already possess?
Where do I hear invitation to move into my interior work?
Benediction
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
May the Lord be gracious to you,
lift up his countenance upon you,
and may the Lord give you peace.
Be blessed, you foolish beloved child,
and feel the love of the Father,
the mercy of the Son,
and the comfort of the Holy Spirit,
Amen.
(Luke Helm)
Go in peace and live the church.
See you throughout the week.
[Photo by Gordon Hart @ Flickr]